Vacuum-sealing cap for fruit jars and the like



Dec. 16, E924 1,519,628

w. J. PEELLE VACUUM SEALING CAP FOR FRUIT JARS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 12, 1924 Patented Doc. .16, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS .1. PEELLE, or oHIcAao, ILLINOIS.

Application filed January 12, 1924. Serial No. 685,788.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIS J. PnELL-n, a citizen of the United States, residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented a certain. new and useful Vacuum-Sealing Cap for Fruit- Jars and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a cap for sealing glass jars of the type commonly known as Mason fruit jars. This type of jar as originally manufactured and sold was provided with a relatively short neck externally screw-threaded and the shoulder at the base of the neck was utilized as the sealing seat. As more recently made, these jars are provided with somewhat longer necks and spaced a short distance above the annular shoulder is an annular head or flange constituting the sealing seat or ball. The caps are, of course, screw-threaded and the cured rubber packing or sealing ring is employed between the cap and the sealing seat. Also, the cap is usually equipped with a porcelain or glass liner.

Experience has definitely established that the screw caps provided for such jars have failed in a large percentage of cases to produce an effectual seal and the reason is that the cured rubber rings become stretched and distorted in the operation of screwing the cap onto the jar, and such caps have otherwise failed because of the inability of therubber to adjust itself to imperfections in the glass. Moreover, with the cap mechanically secured in position as by means of screw threads, the home canner is deceived by the apparent tightness of the cap into thinking that an air-tiglrt or vacuum seal has been obtained in all cases, and the result is that the contents of the jars become in many instances totally or partially spoiled. Still another-objection to the common type of screw cap is that the glass or porcelain liner employed 1s permanently fastened in place but is loosely held so that after the cap has been in use, it is impossible to cleanse it thoroughly with the result that the liner serves to harbor destructive bacteria.

The primary object of my invention is to produce .a cap for glass jars of the Mason type which will render it possible to obtain with such jars an effectual vacuum seal without the necessity of employing expensive vacuum sealing machinery and equipment, thus bringing the vacuum seal within the reach of the domestic canner who is largely supplied with such jars. Another object is to provide a cap which 18 adapted for use by the commercial food packer rendering it possible for him to obtain a vacuum seal in a much larger percentage of cases than is now possible, while at the same time enabling him to dispense with screw threads on the jars, and consequently to increase the size of the jar opening to recei e larger units of fruit or other food products.

A. further objectis to produce a cap. which may be quickly and easily applied and which will indicate to the canner whether or not the seal is perfect.

Another object is to produce a jar cap providing a double seal on two separate sealing seats, which cap is especially adapted for use by the commercial food packer. Still another and ancillar object is to provide a cap which may be so cheaply manufactured and sold as to make it practica'ble to discard the caps after having once been used.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the upper portion of a Mason jar of the ball type having a cap constructed in accordance with my invention applied thereto.

Fig, 2 is a similar View illustratin the application of a cap to an old style 18 ason ar.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a spring clamp employed in applying the caps to the ball type of jar as shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate my improved cap applied to modified forms of the ball ty e of jar and the old style Mason jar, t e screw threads being absent.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate slightly different forms of caps especially designed for use by commercial food packers having machincry for securing the caps onto the jars and thus dispensing with the use of spring clamps and the like.

Fi 8 illustrates a modified form of cap providing a double seal on separate sealing seats.

Fig. 9 is a central sectional view showing on an enlarged scale the cap illustrated in Fig. 1.

Figs. 10 to 13 are similar views showing additional forms of the cap.

'Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the jars which are therein shown are respectively the balltype of Mason jar and the so-called 01d st le jar. The former comprises the usual ody 14 having a relatively elongated neck 15 of reduced diameter as compared to the body so as to provide an annular shoulder 16. Spaced a short distance above the shoulder on the neck is an annular bead or flange 17 which is commonly termed the sealing seat. In the case of the old style jar the neck 15 is shorter and the shoulder 16 is utilized as the sealing seat.

In carrying out my invention I utilize the sealing seats which are rovided upon both styles of Mason jars as a ove'set forth, in combination with a cap which is so constructed as to provide as a part-thereof a' sealing ring or gasket of a preferred compositionincluding raw rubber, the gasket being secured in position by a preferred method forming no part of this invention. I have found that said sealing seats can be utilized notwithstanding the presence of the screw threads by providing a relatively deep cap arranged to fit loosely over the neck of the .jar and having its lower end constructed so as to carry the composition rubber asket.

.- In' Figs. 1 and 2 the cap is designated y the numeral 18 and is shown as having a plain cylindrical wall fitting loosely over the screw threads 19. At its lower end the cap is formed with an outturned flan e 20 which is preferably curved downward y near its outer end as shown at 21. Upon the under and inner'sides of this flange I secure the gasket which is designated by the numeral 22. The cap is bypreference made to fit loosely over the neck of the jar to avoid any possibility of its sticking to the neck by frictional engagement therewith which might interfere with the proper seating of the cap.

In applying this cap to a ball type of jar -a clamp 23 ma be employed. This clamp is in the form 0 a U-shaped spring clip having near its opposite ends inwardly bent hook portions 24 and bearing at its central portion 25 upon the topof the ca The contents of the jar are introduce while boiling or substantiall so, so that the jar becomes heated. It wi 1 be apparent therefore, that when thegasket 22 is forced downwardly-upon the sealing seat b pressure applied through the clamp 23, t e gasket W11].

readily adjust itself to any slight imperfections in the seat. As the contents of the can a cool, the contraction thereof incident to the ccolin operation produces a vacuum-in the hen the jar is completely cooled, the

of the sea is readily apparent if the cap remains securely held in position. An additional test of the effectiveness of the seal is to note. whether the relatively thin metal of. the to of the cap is drawn mwardl Int e case of the old style jar s own in Fig, 2, the absence of the ball 17 renders it necessary to employ other means for holding the cap applied while the contents of. the jar are cooling. I have shown a suitable weight 26 for this purpose.

It will be apparent that with my improved cap the screw threads 19 on the jar neck serve no function and maytherefore be ultimately dispensed with entirely. As a result, the internal diameter of the neck may be increased as will be; readily apparent from Figs. 4 and 5 thus rmittmg of the introduction of larger unlts of fruit or other food products into the jar. The plain necks shown in these types of jars are designated by the numeral 15'.

In the use ofmy invention by large commercial food packers, it may be preferred to dispense with clamps such as shown in Fig. 1 and employ instead hooks or flanges which by the use of suitable machinery may be bent or rolled into holding engagement with the ball 17. In Fig. 6 I have shown a cap provided at spaced points about its lower edge with portions 27 bent to form hooks engaging. with the underside of the sealing seat or ball; and in the case of Fig. 7 I have shown an annular inturned flange 28 formed intergral with the flange 20 and bent into engagement with the under side of the ball 17 Presumably also such packers will prefer jars having the screw threads omitted; and I contemplate that they may if desired pass the jars through an automatic-vacuum sealing machine of the type shown in my copending application Serial No. 500,724, filed September 15, 1921, applying just enough mechanically produced vacuum to hold onv the cap without withdrawing the hot contents of the jars. The increased vacuum thus produced provides a very prac tical seal which will withstand rough usage in shipment.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a cap providing a double seal. In this form the cap has secured thereto upon the under side of the top' wall of the cap and at its inner peripheral I provide the cap with a gasket 20 as in Figs. 1 to 7 which is adapted to coact with the ball 17. The gasket 29 in this case is auxiliary in character to the gasket 20 because it has been found in practice that in a large number of cases Mason jars are produced with their upper ends slightly imperfect due to the presence of vertical cracks formed in such surfaces in the molding operation. These cracks or crevices are of such a character that when present cannot eifelcitually be sealed even with a composition gas et. The downturned portion 21 of the flange 20 in the case of the cap shown in Figs. 1 to 9 serves, it will be apparent, to protect the outer edge of the gasket 22 and to prevent the gasket from being forced out between the cap and the sealing seat when pressure is applied to the cap. Other forms of flanges accomplishing this result are shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13. In Fig. 11 the flange is shaped to form an annular U-shaped socket 30 of which'the inner wall 31 is made somewhat shorter than the outer wall. In Fig. 12 the edge of the flange is folded back as at 32, and inFig. 13 the edge is beaded as at 33. In Fig. 10 an extremely simple formof cap is shown, the flange 20 being straight and without any protecting edge portion.

In removing the cap the same may be pierced to permit the entrance of air to the jar and thus destroy the seal, or a knife may 20 be inserted between the gasket and its seat.

If the latter operation is performed carefully so as not to injure the gasket, the cap may be used again.

I claim as my invention:

A cap adapted for sealing conventional screw thread jars of the Mason type, said jars having a sealing seat and an upstanding neck thereabove'of standard length and size, said cap comprising a top wall, a skirt portion and a flange at the bottom thereof, adapted to receive a raw rubber composition gasket, the length and size of said skirt portion being so chosen with respect to the standard dimensions of the said upstanding neck that said cap when applied to one of said standard Mason jars will hermetically seal the same.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

WILLIS J. PEELLE. 

